Archive for September, 2014

This 30 second NBC News video has a good definition of being an internet “Troll” or “Trolling” the internet. Trolling is one of the unacceptible online behaviors Utah NetSmartz teaches kids to avoid and report when they are online. Here is the link the video:

A site director for the Boys and Girls Club of Weber-Davis shared a story that happened at their club:

During the summer Utah Netsmartz provided training for one of the teen clubs. After the training two teens reported a severe cyberbullying incident to the site director. One teen was being bullied for breaking up with a boyfriend. The teen blocked the bully’s number, and contact information on social media accounts. The bully turned to a close friend and proceeded to bully her. She also blocked the bully’s number, and contact information on her social media accounts, but before the bully was blocked the bully stated that he would continue the bullying until the teen committed suicide.

The site director asked the teens if they had shared the incidents with their parents, which they had not. Before the site director took action, she asked the teens to share the incidents with their parents. Once the parents had been informed, who supported the teens fully, the site director took the incident to the police. A case report was filed with the police, and will be reopened if the teens continue to be bullied. Internet safety training really does work!!

There are constantly new apps coming out that are being used by students of all ages. It can be difficult to keep up with which ones are most popular among teens. Here is a link that goes over 15 sites and apps that kids and teens are using. Not only does this article review which apps are being used by kids and teens, it also goes over why they’re popular, and the risks associated with each app.

Games can be a really fun way for kids to connect with others. However, there are always risks. It is important for kids to know how to handle tricky situations. Sometimes kids are quick to play games with strangers and start posting things online. They post pictures or even sometimes post private or personal information. Kids also need to know what to do when they are put in positions where people are harassing them.

In the article, Gaming Tips for parents, they have lots of useful information to help keep your kids safe while playing games online.